New policy will make tertiary education accessible — Prof. Yankah

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The new tertiary education policy document is aimed at removing barriers that impede access to tertiary education, the Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, Professor Kwesi Yankah, has stated.

He explained that the policy sought to improve academic performance and also strengthen the governance structure of public universities.

 For instance, he said, the centralised application policy captured in the policy would stop the practice of buying separate admission forms of universities, give more admission opportunities to applicants and also streamline admission processes.

“Expanding access to education means removing all barriers and obstacles that impede access.

If a stressful and expensive application process stands in the way of the applicant, the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government says that is unacceptable,” he added.

 Prof. Yankah announced that a stakeholders’ conference on the centralised application system would be held in Accra today, while the system itself would be piloted next year.

The minister was speaking at this year’s graduation ceremony of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) last Saturday.

The graduation, the third session this year, focused on the School of Graduate Studies of the UPSA.

Six hundred and fifty-seven students, made up of 18 Master of Philosophy students, 632 Master of Business Administration (MBA) students and seven Master of Science students graduated at the event.

Prof. Yankah lauded the graduates for completing their programmes successfully and advised them to strive to pursue excellence in their endeavours.

Policy

The new tertiary education policy involves planning, development, regulation, operations, overall governance and accountability of tertiary education system in the country.

According to Prof. Yankah, the policy document encapsulated cardinal policies of the government on tertiary education from admission through graduation and also addressed issues such as funding, equity and inclusiveness.

He promised that the document, which he described as a landmark development, would soon be made available to the public.

Appeal

The Vice-Chancellor of the UPSA, Prof. Abednego F. Okoe Amartey, appealed to individuals and corporate bodies to contribute to a Vice-Chancellor Endowment Fund (VCEF) established by the university to provide financial assistance for students who were unable to pay their fees.

He said the fund, which was established in 2017, had targeted GH¢100 million as seed money within four years.

“Every year, about 1,350 students who qualify to enter the UPSA are unable to do so due to financial challenges, while an average of 300 students defer their studies, with a significant number also dropping out of the university, for the same reasons,” he added.

source:graphic.com.gh

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